Zero raised his brows, staring at the hand with which Fuli had touched the blade.
Was it just a coincidence? Did he accidentally crack the hypnosis tool?
Or was it a system bug, had he and Fuli actually known each other all along?
Zero had no clue, so he began thinking over the other's words, then suddenly realized.
'Isn't this just like a typical male-power fantasy novel? Other people have to pay a painful price to do something, but the protagonist is different, he can easily cross the barrier and do the very same thing.'
As a player, was there really any fate he couldn't change?
This NPC… probably just foreshadowing some future crisis of the universe, right…
He couldn't help letting his thoughts wander. Later, would he need to do what? Eliminate the swarm, kill the Abundance Abominations, save the universe?
Fuli seemed to know exactly what Zero was thinking, and said, "There's no need for you to do anything. Just maintain the status quo."
Zero's eyes grew cold, but his face still wore a smile, "You mean, I can't save my subordinate?"
Fuli fell silent for a moment, then said, "I told you before… forget it…"
The "Remembrance" Aeon looked as if He had some unspoken troubles, saying half a sentence, then putting on that "respecting others' destiny" face.
If the other side had tried everything to stop him, Zero would definitely resist to the end. But Fuli's attitude…
Was this NPC trying to cripple his UR, blocking him from grabbing territory?
Or was it that the UR's future was limitless, destined to transform at some key point, so it was forbidden to interfere?
"It sounds like you know a lot. Is that why you and the Aeon of 'Erudition' are tripping me and Lan up?"
"Oh? 'Erudition'? What did He do?"
Fuli seemed unaware of what "Erudition" had done.
Zero didn't answer.
Fuli didn't press further, instead yielding, saying that as long as Zero would agree to His requests, He would also cooperate with him.
Zero felt lost inside, though outwardly he kept smiling.
He had thought Fuli came to stir trouble, that he was just future EXP fodder.
But… you're actually a freebie NPC who comes giving players cheats?
He could only say, "What requests? Let's hear them."
"Don't change that person's destiny."
"Don't actively stir up conflicts."
"And lastly, don't construct the Aether Resonance Engine."
Zero had originally intended to reject outright, but the moment he heard "Aether Resonance Engine," his expression nearly cracked.
'How did an NPC know about the Aether Resonance Engine?'
He looked at Fuli, but that block-of-ice face had no features at all, he couldn't read His thoughts.
Zero sank into thought. 'Is this some kind of hidden game Easter egg? An NPC predicting what the player would do…'
Seeing him quiet, the Aeon then showed unprecedented initiative, beginning to predict future plotlines.
Zero listened for a while, and felt that half of what the NPC said was true, half false.
Lan cooperating with the Amber Lord? He remembered tossing that special material to the researchers, letting them handle it. What, he's still alive?
As for Zero himself ending the Swarm… that one he actually believed.
'Isn't the whole point of playing the game to fight against the three great calamities?'
He had seen the insect swarm and the Abundance Abominations causing trouble, but there had been no signs at all of high-dimensional invaders.
Maybe this NPC was indeed special, but the price He offered still wasn't enough, not enough for Zero to abandon Lan, his UR.
Zero refused without hesitation.
The Aeon wasn't surprised. Instead, He proposed a bet, if Zero lost, he must give up changing Lan's destiny. But Fuli would, in return, grant Zero one request.
"You will soon become the Marshal of the Xianzhou."
Hearing this, Zero gave a derisive laugh.
"Fine. I'll bet with you. My condition is, for however long Lan stays asleep, you must work for me that long."
Fuli didn't object, but said He would let one of His Envoys fulfill the promise in His place, and at the same time agree to grant Zero a reasonable request.
Zero readily agreed.
The Aeon's Envoy, even if not as strong as a UR, would still be far stronger than his subordinates. Plus, it was a high-level NPC…
If Fuli could be made to obey, even just once, that was more than enough.
Win or lose, he wouldn't really lose much.
Even if he lost and couldn't directly interfere in Lan's fate, couldn't he still add fuel to the fire?
Zero knew his subordinates too well.
These NPCs had superior stats. Each one could step up to replace a general.
Under Zero's "lunatic" buff, they were especially obedient, never acting against his will.
Going behind his back? Impossible.
He was full of confidence. But when he opened the system notifications, his smile instantly vanished.
[You have obtained the Xianzhou: Luofu]
[You have obtained the Xianzhou: Zhuming]
———
System messages kept flooding in, and the quest log updated.
[Xianzhou: Yaoqing]
[Now, as the Marshal of the Xianzhou, can you lead the people of the Xianzhou to obtain immortality?]
Zero's face tightened. He opened the map, and saw that the colors of the entire Xianzhou Alliance had all turned into Yaoqing's color.
"Remember our agreement."
Leaving behind these words, Fuli dropped a single ice lotus, then vanished together with the traitor who had hidden the Luofu news.
[You have obtained the keepsake of the "Remembrance" Aeon]
[With this item, you can make Him grant your wish]
[But, requests such as altering destiny are not allowed]
Zero stashed the keepsake into his backpack, took a deep breath, trying hard to steady his emotions.
What's wrong with these NPCs? Why aren't they following commands?
Then he heard outside the general's residence an absurdly exaggerated laugh. The man laughed so hard he nearly bent double, then kicked open the tightly shut doors.
Zero turned toward the sound, only to see a masked man bow clumsily, then shout loudly, "Marshal! We've taken the Xianzhou!"
The subordinates didn't know what was going on. But they had seen this masked man before, so they weren't sure whether to stop him.
They remembered what Zero had said earlier, so none of them stepped inside on their own. Instead, they stood outside the residence, beaming as they congratulated their general.
"Marshal! We've taken the Xianzhou! Let's go save the crown prince!"
Zero, "..."
[Achievement unlocked: He already got the Mara-struck body, give him a break!]
[Debuff granted: Mara-struck body]
[Trigger condition: Falling into the Mara-struck body]
[Effect: No one refuses your orders, proposal pass rate +20%, domineering aura +30%, subordinate efficiency +30%]
[Note: Easily loses emotional control]
At the very instant he gained "Mara-struck body," the system automatically replaced "Lunatic."
A sudden itch rose in Zero's throat, as if something was about to sprout from his flesh and blood.
He gave a light cough, and while covering his mouth, wiped away the blood he had spit out, then swiftly tore off the ginkgo leaf that had sprouted from the tip of his tongue.
Swallowing the blood, he clenched the leaf tightly in his palm, brushed past Aha, who had been trying to hug him, and strode toward his excited subordinates.
He showed a flawless smile, "You've done very well."
"So then, in the future, continue bringing me, and the Xianzhou, victory!"
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Zero kept his brilliant smile, while opening the system one by one to check on the state of each Xianzhou.
The residents' satisfaction was pathetically low. Just one spark would be enough to ignite a revolt.
How to describe this workload? If Yaoqing was like a fully completed God account, then now there were seven more God accounts waiting for him to grind.
He had to redo the quests seven times, the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, the Forest Book, the Desert Book, and also max out exploration in each nightmare-tier map.
Oh, and separately find 76 ghosts for each account…
Zero, 'How long am I going to have to grind to max out all this resident satisfaction?!'
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